Welcome to the Database of Irish Historical Statistics. The Database is intended as a common resource for all scholars working in the field of Irish economic history. It is edited by Jason Begley (begleyj@tcd.ie), Frank Geary (F.Geary@ulst.ac.uk) and Kevin O'Rourke (kevin.orourke@tcd.ie). Scholars are welcome to use the data made available here. The database should be cited in any conference paper or publication arising. Frank Geary and Kevin O'Rourke wish to acknowledge a grant of IR£10,000 from the Royal Irish Academy which enabled the initial collection of series. Brendan Lynn was responsible for much of this early work. The Database has been established with the aid of TCD IS Services and the Institute for International Integration Studies. The editors welcome contributions from scholars who have data that they wish to make available to a wider public. Any scholar wishing to lodge data with the database should contact one of the editors. All contributions which are accepted for the database will be acknowledged.